Restaurant Review #75: Restaurant 2117, Sawtelle, West LA

I had read on Chowhound that 2117 was a wonderful but largely undiscovered restaurant, so I went with high hopes. Unfortunately, for me, 2117 falls under the same category as Osteria Latini: it is mighty tasty food--for people with boring palettes.

The small menu (one page of appetizers and one page of entrees, plus a few specials) is not very vegetarian friendly, especially if you are a true

Restaurant Review #74: Broadway Deli, Santa Monica

Broadway Deli is very popular, with waits easily 30 minutes for weekend breakfast. They offer something for everyone--a deli, a cheese counter, an extensive wine list, a full bar, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. You can come in for a meal, or treat the place like an upscale grocery store. You can also come for happy hour and get wine and cheese pairings, which I hear are a great deal.

Restaurant Review #73: Ramayani Indonesian Cuisine, Westwood

I chose Ramayani for my first Indonesian food experience because, well, it seems to be the only choice on the Westside. I put off this adventure for a while though because from looking at the menu in the window, I couldn't see how the food would be any different from Thai food. I've already had Thai about a million times due to the obscene number of Thai restaurants that were located within

Restaurant Review #72: Juliano's Raw, Santa Monica

Dining room

The first thing you'll notice when you walk into Juliano's, as I like to call it, is the low lighting, the sleek gray interior, and the potent aroma of a couple hundred fresh hibiscus. Since raw philosophy dictates that nothing be heated above 120 degrees, the restaurant doesn't smell like the food it serves. I like that someone clearly realized this and thought of a way to create a

Restaurant Review #71: Spumoni, Santa Monica

I almost never go out for Italian, because it's so cheap and easy to do at home. In fact, probably at least half of my daily meals are either pasta or pizza (it's my secret to staying so slim). There is definitely a difference between restaurant Italian and slapped together on a weeknight Amy Italian, but there's even more of a difference between the invisible hamachi in my fridge and the

Restaurant Review #70: Trastevere, Santa Monica

Trastevere is a seemingly nice restaurant on the Promenade which is designed primarily for tourists and is not nearly as special as it pretends to be. The garlic herb dipping sauce that came with the bread was addictively good. The veggie pizza I had for my meal was fine, but nothing memorable. Unfortunately, the most salient part of the meal for me was the rude, rude,

Restaurant Review #68: Stroh's Gourmet, Venice

How did I discover Stroh's Gourmet? Well, it's funny you should ask. I was waiting at the bus stop on Abbot Kinney to catch the bus home from my first day of work in LA when a homeless schizophrenic man decided to come up and chat with me. I've dealt with my share of crazies, having lived in major cities my entire life, so I wasn't too worried. My bus would be along any minute. But it wasn't

Restaurant Review #69: Baja Fresh

When I was a newbie to LA, I used to really like Baja Fresh, largely because they had three different kinds of salsa and understood the value of limes. I've recently changed my mind though.But wait--why am I reviewing a fast food restaurant?1. it's expensive for fast food and for the portions ($8-9 for a burrito and a soda)2. the tortillas are crispy3. a black bean burrito made me sick to my

Restaurant Review #67: Jack Sprat's Grille, Westwood/West LA

Portabella burger and air fries

At the suggestion of a friend, I decided to try Jack Sprat's Grille, a place I normally would not go to because, well, it's not Indian, Vietnamese, or sushi.

When I think of a grill, I think casual. But this is not a grill, folks--it's a grille. When you add that "e" to the end, you get tablecloths and nice utensils.

Our server was very professional--he was

Restaurant Review #66: Panera Bread

Asiago bagelFirst, a confession: I used to work here. That means you get both my former employee bias and my former employee inside scoop.Working at Panera was one of the best jobs I ever had, and one of the most fun. At the end of the day, the employees get to take home whatever baked goodies are left over, as well as any panini. There are no preservatives in the baked goods, so they don't last

Restaurant Review #65: Santino's, Santa Monica

Cheese and Olive Plate

Though I didn't really love Spanish food while I was in Spain, I'm pretty nostalgic, so I decided to try Santino's, a tapas restaurant on Lincoln near Navy. No one on Chowhound had anything to say about it in 24 hours, which is unusual. I'm of the opinion that there are no undiscovered gems in this city of 19 million, but at least there weren't any bad reviews. So I went.

Restaurant Review #64: Key Club, West Hollywood

I went here for a friend's birthday party for a night of dinner and dancing. I didn't quite have the normal club experience because I was there for a party, but I'll share anyway.

We arrived around 9:00 and were seated at our two reserved tables. They seem to only have round tables, which don't push together well for large parties, but it's not like you can talk to someone at the other end of

Restaurant Review #60: T's Thai, Santa Monica

T's Thai is a small, very casual, very simple restaurant a few steps away from the busy intersection of 4th and Wilshire. It looks nicer from the outside than it does once you're inside--I wouldn't take a date here. The food is very inexpensive and the menu is what you would expect. I didn't think the pad Thai was very good, but the red pineapple curry was delicious. Like most Thai

Restaurant Review #61: Rambutan, Silverlake

Rambutan is a very popular, relatively new Thai restaurant in Silverlake with a sleek, sexy interior. It's gotten a lot of good reviews, for both the food and the atmosphere. I haven't spent much time in Silverlake, and I'm somewhat new to Los Angeles as well, but I get the impression that Eastsiders have been appreciative of recent hip additions to the neighborhood like Gingergrass and Rambutan.

Restaurant Review #62: Ocean Avenue Seafood, Santa Monica

Ocean Avenue Seafood is not a restaurant I would have picked out myself, but it wasn't a bad place to have someone else take me. The interior is nice and very warmly lit. The restaurant is quite large, and on a Friday night, it was sometimes hard to hear my friend over the general noise of the other diners. The service was polite and friendly, and the food was good, though it didn't wow me. I had

Restaurant Review #63: Wahoo's Fish Taco, Santa Monica

Wahoo's Fish Taco is essentially a fast food chain, but it was new to me when I moved out here.

What's the big deal about fish tacos? I've heard people sing their praises before. I suppose that tacos are usually on the heavy side, and made with the right kind of fish, a fish taco would be refreshingly light, not to mention a bit healthier. But fast food fish?

I ordered just one fish taco to

Restaurant Review #59: Border Grill, Santa Monica

Mmm, dipping sauces. A nice change from the usual plain ol' red. I loved the green salsa and ate a lot of it straight. It reminded me a bit of green chutney, but with a hint of. . .banana? I know, I'm crazy, and that doesn't sound appetizing, but trust me, it was good. I also liked the chips--they had a great crunch, and weren't greasy.



I really like Border Grill's margaritas. They are

Restaurant Review #58: Marmalade Cafe, Santa Monica

The Larkin

Marmalade is a small Los Angeles area chain serving breakfast, coffee, baked goods, and a multitude of sandwiches and salads. The menu has so many options that it's friendly to both vegetarians and their carnivorous friends. Or vice-versa. It's a very casual place where you place your order at the counter and seat yourself.

My favorite dishes are the beet salad, the albacore

Restaurant Review #57: Coffeecana, Koreatown

Had someone else not pointed me to this place, I doubt I ever would have visited it, but this is the third strip mall gem I have found in the last month so I should probably get over my strip mall prejudice.

Coffeecana, located on the second floor of strip mall on Wilshire in Koreatown, serves both the usual lattes and cappucinos as well as boba, shaved ice (bingsu), and other exotic treats (

Restaurant Review #56: Abbot's Habit, Venice

I love Abbot's! I particularly like their blended mochas and bagels. They also serve baked goodies and sandwiches. Abbot's was a favorite lunch spot of a place I used to work.

The place is extremely casual and very Venice. If you want to get an immediate feel for this part of town, Abbot's is a great place to check out. It's not pretentious at all, and even during business hours is not populated